$15 Or Less: G-Men Ramen

$15 Or Less Mini Club foodies lunched at G-Men/Ramen Izakaya @ NanChuu 南廚 (yes, the restaurant name is quite a mouthful) in Richmond to indulge on the ever so popular authentic Japanese ramen.
Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted by all the staff with “Irasshaimase”, which means welcome in Japanese. I always find it a bit awkward yet welcoming when they shout at you – are we suppose to respond? Our nine mini club members clambered into the cute, wooden ramen booth and, this time round, it was much easier to converse with each other since we sat in a booth facing each other. The menu was visually pleasing as there were pictures and descriptions of the variety of dishes, so you don’t need to be fluent in Japanese to know what delicious goodness you’re eating!
The group ordered Ae Soba (soupless noodles), Tan Tan Men, Shoyu (soysauce soup base) and Shio (salt soup base) ramen. We all liked the al dente texture of the ramen, and many of us agreed that the broth was flavourful, although a bit on the salty side. But no fear – just ask the waiters for more water and they will refill your cup right away. That being said, service was super quick.

Shoyu Ramen- Soy sauce soup base

Ae Soba- soupless ramen with lots of toppings

Shio Ramen- salt based soup base which is why the colour is lighter

It was interesting to see that because G-men is an authentic Japanese ramen shop, there were instructions on how to fully appreciate authentic Japanese Ramen:
Step 1) Eat immediately (before it becomes cold)
Step 2) Eat without adding any seasoning first
Step 3) After 1/3 is finished add chili, garlic, and/or our special vinegar as you like

Our member, Henry followed all the steps and noted that when vinegar was added, it balanced out the salty taste. Give this a try the next time you eat ramen!

Enjoying the food.

In the end, everyone dished out around $10.50 for a satisfying bowl of ramen. We were all warmed up and ready to brave the chilly air outside for our next stop… ice cream anyone? As the saying goes, there’s always room for dessert, and so sticking with the Japanese theme of the day, we drove over to Mazazu Crepe inside Aberdeen Centre for soft-serve green tea ice cream. It’s never too cold for ice cream!